Reflections
by Hazmat Fiction
Summary: Jaune wasn't expecting to get a cryptic text so early in the morning. Ruby wasn't planning to send said message. Neither of them saw what happened on the cliffside coming.


Jaune approached the cottage as if he was part of the bomb squad, and the place was rigged to blow. He'd only met Ruby's dad once or twice - never enough to get to know the man. But if he was anything like Yang, his overprotectiveness probably bordered on homicidal. Chances were, he would be a little suspicious of a guy turning up to see his daughter unannounced. Seriously, why couldn't he have thought to call ahead?

He glanced down at his scroll, quickly re-reading the message he had received from the girl at three o'clock that morning.

_Jaune, I need to talk to you about something. It's important, and pretty time-sensitive, so the sooner you can meet me, the better. I'll be at my dad's place on Patch for the next few weeks._

That had him pretty confused for several reasons. It had been a minute since Jaune and Ruby had seen each other, but this seemed like more than a quick cup of coffee to catch up with an old friend. Also, her use of proper grammar had his head spinning. Ruby didn't even _speak_ in grammatically correct sentences, let alone text with them. His replies, asking if everything was all right, were met with the same level of vague detail.

If movies had taught him anything, it was that a close friend suddenly going all cryptic and texting in the middle of the night was never a good sign. The fact that he was now stood in front of her house, _still_ having no clue what he was doing there, didn't make him feel any better about the situation. For all he knew, Ruby could have been luring him out here to the middle of nowhere to tie him up and do wildly inappropriate things to his body.

Part of him wouldn't have minded... _No! Bad body!_

There was also the matter of meeting Ruby's father - which was all but guaranteed, at this point, considering they were meeting at his house. Despite all of his confidence, Jaune had never been successful enough with girls to experience the whole 'getting threatened by dad' thing. Good lord, how sad was _that_? He was twenty and had never even been on a date. But this wasn't that, was it? Jaune wasn't some kid looking to ask Ruby out. He was her best friend, worried by a mysterious message he'd received with little to no extra details.

Washed away were his muddled and confused thoughts as he approached the front porch steps. Without warning, the door opened and out bounced a somewhat familiar ball of fur. Zwei barked and sniffed his leg, tail wagging like it was about to fly off. He likely didn't remember who he was but greeted him all the same.

"Hey, boy," Jaune said as he reached to pat the dog's head.

"Can I help you?" His hand snapped back with a yelp when he heard the voice. To say Taiyang Xiao Long was an intimidating man was like saying Vacuo was warm. Meaning it was the understatement of the century! Yang clearly took after him more than Ruby did, with his slightly graying blond hair and broad shoulders. The man had muscles on his muscles that made Jaune think about his own toned body with shame. He also had that same look in his eye that Yang did, the one where you couldn't tell if he wanted to hug you or bludgeon you to death with his fists.

"Uh… well, I'm actually looking for Ruby," Jaune stammered. "I'm Jaune Arc, I'm a friend of hers."

Taiyang's eyes narrowed for a second, then widened again in realization. "Oh yeah, I remember you. Vomit Boy, right? Yeah, Ruby's told me quite a bit about you."

Jaune let out a nervous laugh and cringed at the mention of his old, embarrassing nickname, courtesy of the girl in question. "Nothing too bad, I hope?"

The father shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, she actually speaks pretty highly of you. Says you helped her through a lot of hard times."

Seeing that the conversation wasn't leading to his violent demise, Jaune relaxed a bit. Just a bit, though. Taiyang could still probably kill him in forty different ways with a freaking napkin.

"Afraid she's not here right now, though. She went into town with her sister a couple of hours ago," he went on. "Your welcome to come in and wait for her if you want. She should be back any minute now."

He then led Jaune inside the quaint little house. It was a cute place, very cozy. He could just imagine Yang and Ruby growing up in it, with their parents. No wonder they loved their home so much. It reminded him of his own house, in Ansel, though, due to the sheer size of the Arc brood, that one was a tad larger.

"Make yourself at home, Jaune, I'll be right back," Mister Xiao Long called as he walked out of sight.

Stepping into the den, he was taken aback by all of the photos that lined the walls, shelves, and mantle. Nearly every one of them depicted Yang or Ruby at various ages. One, in particular, caught Jaune's eye; it sat right in the center of all the others, up above the fireplace. He recognized Taiyang, the girls, as well as Qrow, off to the side, but there was a woman he didn't know. She was the spitting image of Ruby, down to the exact spots where her hair faded from black to red and was showing off a smile so similar, the two could have been twins. The woman was clutching the two young girls like they were stuffed animals she'd won at a carnival. On each of their faces was what looked like a shriek of joy. This was probably Ruby's mom. Neither she nor Yang talked about her very much, and he had a feeling he knew why.

"Summer," said Taiyang, emerging from the kitchen with a tea kettle and two mugs. "My wife and Ruby's mother."

"Yeah, I thought so," Jaune nodded. "She and Ruby look a lot alike, even in this photo. Their eyes, especially." Silver, he understood how significant that was. It meant that she was dangerous to Grimm - and, more importantly, Salem. And, now that he thought about it, it might have even been the reason she died.

The older man sighed as he sat down on the couch and placed the tea on the coffee table. "That they do. I'm fairly certain that the two could pass for one another now." It probably would've been incredibly difficult to distinguish them based on appearance alone. The only difference he could see was their preferred color scheme; Ruby's being red to Summer's, white.

A second picture passed through Jaune's vision as he went to sit down. It was quite old, he figured, based on the much younger Taiyang and Qrow he saw. Along with them were Summer and Yang's mother, Raven. He was reminded of something he'd heard Ruby say once.

"You were on a team at Beacon, weren't you?"

Taiyang smiled and looked at the photograph. "Yep, team STRQ. Coolest team to come out of that school. Or so Qrow would say."

"Ruby once said you, Qrow, and her mom were part of the reason she became a huntress." Jaune took the steaming teacup he was offered. He'd never been much for leaf-water, but he didn't want to offend the scary, bodybuilder-looking man sitting across from him. "She must really look up to you all."

"Rubes grew up hearing stories about all the adventures we went on as fresh-faced hunters." He gazed off into space, nostalgia taking over. "That, along with all the comic books and cartoons, kind of romanticized the job a bit, I think." Taiyang paused and stared down into his tea. A look akin to regret fell over him as he took a sip. "Personally, I think it was Summer's death that was the last nail in the coffin - so to speak."

"How's that?"

"We always taught the girls to do the right thing and to help people. Well, _Summer_ did most of the teaching; I was too busy running around, doting on them to pass on too many life lessons." He and Jaune shared a quiet chuckle. "Anyway, so when Summer went out on a mission and didn't come home, it crushed all of us. I kinda just... check out of reality for about a year and left Yang to take care of Ruby."

Jaune almost said he understood but thought it better to bite his tongue while Taiyang was speaking. And really, he had no earthly idea what the family had gone through, losing Summer as they did. His father was a huntsman, sure, but he'd never once come close to death as far as Jaune could recall. Though he had a feeling if Nicholas ever did meet his demise out on a mission, the Arc family would end up just as bad, if not worse than Ruby's.

He sipped his tea as Taiyang continued. "Ruby was only four. Growing up without a mother was hard for her, to say the least. I think that she wanted to become a huntress so that she could protect people and make sure no one has to go through what we did."

That made a lot of sense, actually. Back when he first met her at Beacon, Ruby was younger than everyone else in their year. Despite that, she was just as skilled and driven, if not more so than them all. Everything she ever did was to protect someone else, even if it could mean her death. She was committed to helping others. Hell, she'd become Jaune's best friend on day one, and had helped him get through the terrors of school.

When they were facing down Salem, a seemingly invincible foe, Ruby had stood firm and defended those she loved and also those she didn't even know. She faced the witch alone at the very end and came out victorious, against all the odds.

"That has to be exhausting, doesn't it?" Jaune said. "Always worrying about others and never caring about yourself?"

Taiyang nodded. "I'm pretty sure it is, but it's how she's chosen to live. Ruby wanted to be a hero," he glanced out the window into the distance, "and she's willing to do whatever it takes to live that dream."

Jaune nodded at that. He'd watched Ruby all through the years he'd known her, and never once doubted her willpower. She was precisely the kind of person he'd hoped to become when he snuck into Beacon.

"She really is something," he whispered, failing to note how Taiyang's sharp eyes narrowed upon hearing it.

"Just what was it that brought you all the way out here, Jaune?"

Jaune didn't miss the suspicion in his voice and cursed the way he audibly gulped at it. "Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure." He paled as the older huntsman leaned forward, menacingly. He quickly stammered, "I-I got a weird text from Ruby last night, so I came to see if she was okay."

Jaune held up his scroll, giving Taiyang a view of the message for himself. Taking it, he read in silence for an agonizingly long few seconds. It probably didn't help his case to reveal that the man's youngest daughter had been texting a strange guy at three in the morning. Though, if it kept him from dyeing his carpet a lovely new shade of crimson using Jaune's cadaver, by all means, he would try every option he had at his disposal.

"I don't know what to think about this," Taiyang said finally. "Not sure I like a guy I don't know showing up unannounced, but so long as Ruby invited you here, I suppose you're welcome."

Jaune let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, wincing when he heard the man chuckle at his palpable terror. Well, at least _someone_ was getting some level of enjoyment out of this absolutely pleasant exchange.

_Gods, I hope Ruby gets here soon,_ he thought. Then, confused, he saw Taiyang's eyebrow go up.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yep."

Damn it.

* * *

Ruby breathed in the fresh, autumn air as she strolled down the dirt road, which led to her dad's house. She could have hitched a ride or hired a cab, but she always preferred to take things slower when she was at home, on Patch. It was her favorite time of year. The trees were all changed to various shades of gold, red, and brown. The last of the little woodland critters were out foraging for nuts or berries that were leftover from the summer.

It was the kind of thing she never saw in the city. They had trees, sure, but it wasn't the same feeling that she got when she was out in the woods, just her and mother nature. It also afforded her precious time to think.

She'd been doing that a lot lately - thinking. The more she thought, the more she realized how much more there was to think about, until eventually, her brain became a pile of mush, sloshing around in her head. Weiss would have been proud to hear some of her inner debates. For example, the ethical repercussions on giving huntsmen and huntresses virtually no structured rules or tenets.

Of course, her partner would then promptly suffer an aneurysm when she discovered that was a prelude to Ruby considering going a mad spree of heists, stealing every cookie from every bakery across all of Remnant.

What could she say? Her brain had a mind of its own.

As gravel crunched under her feet, Ruby's thoughts wandered to the message she'd sent earlier that day. Could she have handled that better? Maybe. Was she nervous about talking to Jaune? Definitely.

These kinds of emotions that raced through her head couldn't be ignored, though. She was a huntress, and to her, that meant facing problems head-on. Life was too short to pussyfoot around and miss out on opportunities. Once again, Ruby decided it was worth taking a chance to tell Jaune how she felt.

Although did she even know how that was? She'd been through more than most, but she was still young. Was eighteen too early to tell if she really was in love? Was this love, or was it merely lust? She'd heard dad say that, when he was her age, it was impossible to distinguish between the two.

Only adding to her doubt, would Jaune even reciprocate? She'd known him for years, but not once had he shown any sort of romantic interest in her. Then again, neither had she. Sure, there had been the occasional misty-eyed moment or extended hug. Still, she always assumed it was due to them being such close friends. Then there was Pyrrha, with her confessing her feelings to Jaune literally minutes before her death, it seemed he would never love again.

But was that really love either? Jaune had never noticed Pyrrha's advances before the end. Could he develop those kinds of feelings for her postmortem? Maybe, but perhaps not. Jaune had always held incredibly intense feelings of responsibility regarding his team. Perhaps he felt guilty after losing her. Then again, there was the possibility that he did love her. If so, Ruby confessing herself would put him in an awkward position and drudge up some old and unpleasant memories.

"Oh well," she said. "Really only one way to find out." If there was even a chance that Jaune felt the same as she, it was worth the risk to try.

A few moments later, she arrived home. It was odd, how when she was younger, she couldn't wait to leave and start her own life. She wanted to be a huntress, save the world, and leave her humble beginnings behind her forever. Now though, now that she'd had that chance, she appreciated the little cottage for what it was and all it represented. It was the place she'd grown up. Where she and Yang had spent years exploring the surrounding forests. Coming home late in the evening to be greeted by dad's fantastic cooking for dinner. Followed by a warm hug and a bedtime story from mom. When she'd gotten a little older, uncle Qrow had trained her in his own weapon of choice, the two of them becoming a pair of badass scythe-wielding hunters.

Ruby smiled as her childhood pet bounced up to her. Even as she had gotten older, Zwei had too. The corgi certainly wasn't as spry as he once was, which was both a blessing and saddening. On the one hand, it meant he could get into quite as much mischief as he had when he was a puppy. On the other, Zwei was showing his age, and couldn't keep up the same level of stamina that he used to. Thus he wasn't as quick and playful as he had been years ago.

"What's up, furball?" Ruby asked as she picked the squirming dog up. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" As if to answer her question, Zwei looked from her to the door and barked. Still as smart as ever.

She hadn't received anything in the way of response from Jaune since that morning when she'd sent the message, but, with any luck, he'd maybe made an appearance. Hoping beyond all hope he was in there, waiting for her, yet at the same time dreading the thought, Ruby cautiously made her way up the porch steps, corgi in hand.

Timidly, she entered through the front door and called out her usual greeting to her father. "I'm back, dad!" Closing the door behind her, she faced the den, and in it, was one familiar blonde, and another more familiar blonde.

"Hey, Rubes, we were just talking about you," her dad said with a welcoming smile. "Where's your sister? Don't tell me she abandoned you in town again?"

Ruby laughed, recalling the incident which he was thinking of. That first time she'd encountered Roman Torchwick. The night that jumpstarted her career as a huntress. The night that led her to meet the young man fidgeting on the couch.

_Help me!_ his eyes seemed to plead, a pained look on his face.

Again, she chuckled. "No, not exactly," she said, answering Taiyang. "She and Blake are gonna catch a movie in town. I didn't really wanna come with, and I felt like walking home anyway." He seemed to accept that, as he nodded and hummed.

Ruby then turned her attention to Jaune, who was subtly leaning away from her dad. However, if she could notice it, she doubted the twenty-plus year huntsman didn't. "Hey, Jaune, it's good to see you." She smiled.

He seemed to relax a little bit at her greeting and returned the expression. "Hi, Ruby, I-uh... got your message." He waved his scroll to emphasize. "Sorry for not calling ahead."

Her heart started to beat a little faster, and she avoided making eye contact. "No, it's fine," she laughed nervously, scratching the back of her neck. "Honestly, it was probably pretty stupid of me to try and get ahold of you so late at night."

A somewhat awkward silence permeated the room as both of them fell into their shared conversational tactic of _smile and avoid eye-contact. Maybe they'll be the ones to continue the engagement more naturally_. Of course, since they were attempting to use it, it caused the dialogue to stagnate even further than if they were talking to anyone else. Ruby scrambled for some means of finding a subject of discussion that didn't involve her tried and true method of whipping out Crescent Rose and screaming, "LOOK AT MY BABY!"

_Jaune-dot-exe_ appeared to have stopped responding. Merely trying to keep from bursting into a nervous breakdown, and maintaining his goal of avoiding her father's gaze.

Speaking of which, dad was now in possession of a bowl of popcorn that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. From which he and Zwei were happily munching away, clearly enjoying the show unfolding before them. _Seriously, this must be better than daytime television._

_C'mon, say something!_ she demanded of herself. Luckily, though, right as she was opening her mouth, Jaune swooped in to save the day.

"S-so, you wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods for him getting straight to the point. "Yeah, I did. But... umm..." She glanced over to Taiyang, who rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Fiiiine," he groaned. "The old fart will now get out of the kids' hair."

Ruby reached out, motioning that it was okay for him to stay. "No, you're fine, dad. Actually, I was hoping we could go for a quick walk? The woods around here are really pretty this time of year, and I figure we can talk out there."

Jaune blinked. "Oh, uh... sure! Why not? I-I mean..." he looked nervously at her dad. "If that's okay with you?"

Taiyang waved dismissively. "Far be it from me to stand in the way of young love."

"DAD!"

"I'm kidding. Of course, it's fine. Go, have fun on your... _walk_," he ended with a chuckle.

"Ugh!" One of Ruby's hands impacted with her forehead. The other grabbed hold of Jaune's sleeve, yanking him off the couch and toward the door. "Come on.

* * *

The pair of them stepped through the red forest in silence for a few minutes. Jaune was content to simply follow her lead. She was just fine with that. Ruby had actually planned a destination for their little hike. And she was hoping to postpone what she had to say until they got there.

Eventually, though, Jaune did speak up, interrupting the monotonous crunch of leaves underfoot. "Again, I'm sorry I didn't call ahead," he said. "Looking back, it was a big mistake; your dad was more than a little suspicious of me just showing up out of nowhere."

Ruby sighed lightly. "It's fine. You're fine, and, yeah, dad _does_ tend to be a little wary of strangers. It's all those years of being a huntsman; you can't just forget instincts."

"He seemed so friendly when at first, then he just flipped." Jaune stepped up and kept pace at her side, rather than slightly behind. "Got all dark and scary and interrogate-y."

A light giggle escaped Ruby. "That's just dad. He makes you think he's your pal, and that's when he pounces!" She emphasized with a clawing motion of her hands. Images from her childhood popped back up. Like the time she and Yang had gotten caught mixing some of Taiyang's surplus dust into Zwei's kibble. He'd shown mock understanding and even a little amusement at their excuse of turning him into a super dog. Then, when they were all laughing, and she thought they were home free... _wham_! There came the lecture of a lifetime.

"If _that's_ how he treats unexpected guests," Jaune shuddered. "I'd hate to see what happens to people he has a genuine problem with."

"Yeah, I get you. I've never actually met anyone like that so, I have no idea."

No idea whether they were still among the living, she didn't feel needed to be included. Ruby didn't want to imagine her dad killing someone, but he was a professional huntsman for a few years before he settled down to raise her and Yang. He might have been like uncle Qrow, once upon a time.

She and Jaune slipped back into their quiet trek through the woods. Though the silence between them was less awkward than it had been earlier. More a comfortable break from conversation than anything else.

They were nearing the spot Ruby had chosen to make her confession anyway. So it seemed natural that the chit-chat would fall off, giving way to a more meaning full - and, hopefully, productive - talk.

Eventually, the trees became less thick, opening up to a modest clearing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. It was a place that Ruby held incredibly sacred and where she went to feel closest to her mother. It was the location of her grave marker, even though Summer was killed far away, her body never recovered.

Why Ruby had chosen such a place, she didn't rightly know. Many others would have found a memorial site somewhat macabre. She, however, never felt that way. Perhaps she'd brought Jaune here because it was where she thought she could genuinely open up and be herself. Ironically, where no one else could see her.

Maybe it was the beautiful vista that lay before them. The sun was just beginning to set, making light play off the horizon in mesmerizing shades of red, orange, and pink. There was only the faintest smattering of clouds in the sky, appearing like giant balls of painted cotton.

With a deep breath, Ruby strolled across the grassy clearing, to the stone tablet set in her mother's honor. How many memories did she have of this place? Days and nights spent sitting at the plaque, pouring out her worries, dreams, and thoughts for her mom, whom she hoped was listening.

This was the first time in a long while she'd come with someone else in tow.

"Wow..." Jaune marveled at the sight as he took in their surroundings. Ruby smiled. It was good he approved of the place; she did too. "I never had any kind of view like this where I grew up."

"Yeah," she sighed, looking out over the ocean with him. "I guess I was lucky in that case."

Jaune glanced down to the slab at their feet and read aloud, "Summer Rose... Your mom."

Ruby nodded, her smile dipping, but not fading away entirely.

"You must miss her, huh?" he said.

He must have realized what he said as he said it, because his eyes widened considerably a second later. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! That was so stupid of me!"

"It's fine," Ruby whispered, touching his arm. "And, yeah, I do think about her a lot, but I'm not going to burst into tears the second you mention her."

"I get that," Jaune conceded. "Still a little insensitive of me to bring her up."

"I don't like to talk about a lot of things," she said, sitting down on the grass and pulling her knees up to her chest. "How cookies make you fat, stricter weapon laws, anything Qrow says when he drinks." She shuddered at that last one. "But my mom is never something I won't enjoy talking about."

He hummed in understanding as his rear impacted with the soil.

"She's the main reason I became a huntress, you know?"

Jaune nodded. "Your dad mentioned it."

"I lost her when I was just a kid, too young to remember. Nobody knows how she died, whether it was Grimm, bandits, a Bullhead crash, or even Salem." She stared out at the horizon, silver eyes becoming sharp. "I don't want that to happen again. To me or anyone else."

"Much as I hate it, Ruby," he said, "saving everyone is a little more than difficult."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm naïve, Jaune, not stupid. I know that. But if I can stop one person from dying too early, or make sure one mother makes it home to her family, then this will all be worth it. That's what mom taught me."

That was her story, and she was sticking to it. Too many people walked out the door of their homes in the morning and never came back. Growing up without a parent, sibling, friend, whatever, it was more painful than any wound any weapon could inflict. Ruby didn't want to save everyone - well, she _did_, but she knew that was impossible. She just wanted to leave the world in a better way than when she came into it.

"But she taught me one other thing, too."

Jaune looked at her inquisitively. "What's that?"

"She had things she wanted to do. Things that didn't have anything to do with being a huntress." She turned to look into his eyes. "Dad told me she wanted to see us grow up, even when Yang was in diapers, she talked about growing old and having grandkids. She wanted to retire eventually, live out the rest of her days with him here on Patch." Ruby quickly wiped away a tear that formed in her eye. "She had dreams, Jaune. Dreams she'll never see come true now."

"Ruby, I-"

"I'm just like her," she continued, more droplets welling up and dropping down her cheeks. "In every way, we're exactly the same. And one of these days, I'm not gonna come home either, and there'll be things I haven't done yet."

"I don't want to end up like that, Jaune," she said quietly. "I don't want to die tomorrow, knowing I didn't say what I should have said today."

Ruby stood sharply, grabbing ahold of his hands on the way up and dragging him to his feet with her. Without missing a beat, she wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him in. He was quite a bit taller than her, so his chin nearly rested on the crown of her head, but she didn't care. She'd waited too long for this. It was now or never.

"I want to go out, knowing that I did everything I could to make my dreams come true."

Jaune's heart was racing. Ruby felt it thump through his chest. Her cheeks reddened as she struggled to muster up the words.

"Ruby… what are you saying?" his voice was shaky, much like her own. It seemed he too was having trouble wrapping his head around it all.

_I'm saying, I love you, Jaune._

It sounded so simple in her head. So concise and clear. Ruby wanted nothing more than to scream it at the top of her lungs. But when she looked into those big, sparkling, blue eyes, her throat went dry, and she lost all control of her voice.

_Say it. Just open your mouth and say it_, she shouted at herself. _He's never gonna know unless you tell him._

"I-I…" her breasts rose and fell rapidly as her breathing sped up. He was looking down at her with an expression that mirrored her own. Pure confusion and anxiety collided in a storm of frenzied emotions between the two of them. "I can't-"

_…I can't say it._

Fine. She couldn't get the words out to get her point across - she'd never been good with them anyway. Ruby steeled herself. Action spoke louder than words, and what she was preparing to do was like screaming into a megaphone.

"You can't what?" Jaune's eyes widened as Ruby's hands locked behind his head and she pulled his face toward her.

The instant her lips touched his, she felt like the entire world had drifted away. No sound reached her ears except for the pounding of her own heart. Her nerve endings seemed as though they were on fire. With her eyes clamped shut, she wanted nothing more than to simply melt into his embrace. Which proved even more straightforward than she expected as she felt Jaune's arms wrapping around her back.

Their mouths never parted for minutes, he squeezed her into his chest. Breath escaped her, though she could care less. She was kissing the man she loved more than anything in the world. Ruby hugged right back, pulling them closer to one another. She felt his heart thumping like a drum against her breasts; he was just as nervous as her, if not, more so.

She let out a silent gasp and flinched when she felt his tongue slip past her lips. It was an odd sensation, although not wholly unpleasant. The writhing tendril weaved its way through her teeth and clashed against her own. She interpreted this as a challenge and took action in turn. It was a war within the two's joined mouths, each fighting for dominance and yielding to the other at the same time.

Eventually, Ruby's legs failed her. Whether it was the absolute thrill of the moment, or Jaune's weight bearing down on her - _gods_, he'd really bulked up since being that lanky teen at Beacon - she neither knew nor cared. At once, she was overcome with a sense of weakness and fell backward. With a gasp, the wonderous kiss was finally broken, and her back hit the grass. Jaune was quick to follow her, however, landing on his knees, straddling her.

"Wow," she whispered, staring up, past his shaggy mane of blond hair into his deep, azure eyes. She could see herself in the reflection and inwardly cursed. She was wide-eyed and grinning like an idiot.

Though, who could blame her?

"Wow," Jaune parroted with a nod. His expression pretty much matched hers, although his smile grew about four sizes larger when she wrapped her hands behind his neck.

He was already moving before she pulled him in for another round.

As he went about reviving the intense kiss, Ruby's mind was racing about a mile a minute. How in the world did she get here? Locking lips with the man who was her very first friend at Beacon. Back then, he'd been just as awkward as she was. If someone had told her _this_ was where they'd end up, she would have called them crazy and waved them off.

"What the hell are we doing?" she asked, breathing heavily. Jaune's forehead was pressed against her own, and she felt his hot, frantic breath wafting out.

"I'm not sure," he whispered, shaking his head, "but I think I… I don't know what I think."

Her heart sank a little in her chest.

"I think I love you, Ruby."

Ruby's gasped the words drifted across her ears. She'd already been thinking it, she'd thought those very words about him for years with knowing it, but she never heard them said. Just hearing Jaune utter those three simple words, it was enough to nearly bring tears to her eyes. "I love you, Jaune," she laughed. She kissed him again as she rolled them over, positioning herself on top of him. "I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I love you."

Neither was sure of just how long they went on, tangled up in each other's embrace. But the kiss lasted until the shattered moon hung high in the sky, and the crickets sang the song of the night.

The last thing Ruby remembered was curling up next to Jaune, the two of them leaned up against a tree. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She sighed and melted into his warm torso, savoring the way his heartbeat against her ear.

With a yawn, she closed her eyes and whispered, "G'night, Vomit Boy."

As sleep took her, she felt him chuckle. "Goodnight… Crater-Face."

* * *

**There we go. No smut, despite what it says on my profile. This is, shall we say, a test run for me. Lancaster is a touchy pairing for me; what with Ruby being underage and pedophilia being a thing. Despite it being one of my favorites, I find smut regarding it to be a little odd to write. Either way, something _might_ come from this; I may turn this into a full-blown story. For now, though, it is merely a one-shot.**

**In all honesty, this is - in my head anyway - a prequel story to Blood Trails by HornetFreak. It's a fic that features the child of Lancaster in the future. HF is actually doing a rewrite of it as of late and I asked if he'd be up for me writing the present-day shipping stuff. Long story short, this is that.**

**Side note: I can say the lead-up to this story is something that has happened to me before, twice in fact. The first ended up pretty much like this. The second… we'll just say it didn't go quite so well for me and leave it at that.**


End file.
